Endless Evolution: Last Star

In fact, Adam's trial had already begun, for each step he took was more effort than the previous one.

At first, Adam moved in a relaxed manner, hands in his pockets with his chest pushed forward, waiting for the battle with the Prismatic Elemental.

However, his opponent was not the monsters but the wind, soon forcing him to cover himself with his hands.

'Shit... I just entered this area, but I already feel such pressure. But... What I need to do here to get Elemental Sprout?' Adam pondered with great frown, as dust particles and tiny stones were constantly blowing at him along with the wind.

Adam had already realized that Elemental Sprout only appeared after he had passed the elemental trial. There were no strict rules, after all, this wasn't an exam. He had to focus on his intuition, looking for hidden paths to his goal.

Whoooooooooooooosh.

When Adam had walked about 100 meters, the Wind Prismatic Elemental jumped towards him. Its body consisted of several stone rings holding back chaotic wind currents, forming a similar shape to a human body.

Adam's pupils narrowed as he prepared for battle.

However, the Prismatic Elemental did not attack him for some reason. Instead, the monster tilted its head, examined Adam, and pointed towards a cliff 300 meters away.

Then, the Prismatic Elemental took a few strange steps as if it was swaying like a leaf in the wind and ended up on the peak of the cliff.

"Bastard... Decided to play with me? Fine, I'll get you, and you'll have to admit defeat!" Adam clenched his teeth, stepping forward.

He felt no anger or the usual coldness towards monsters. The Prismatic Elemental ignited a competitive spirit within him, for now, it was a contest between the two of them.

If Adam could defeat the Prismatic Elemental in its own area, then the test would definitely not be a problem.

But... Soon Adam's flame was no longer burning as brightly as in the beginning, for after reaching 200 meters, Adam was faced with a problem - he could no longer take a single step.

'What the fuck...?' Adam's shuddered, a chill ran down his back at the realization of how helpless he was.

A dissonance went through Adam's mind because of the situation he faced. He had defeated foes like Brass Puppet, Steel Knight, and Mirna, all of them worthy opponents. However... now he was unable to do anything about the mere wind.

'Shit... If I try to run or jump forward, the wind will just blow me away, I mustn't lose contact with the ground.'

The Prismatic Elemental, watching Adam held out a hand and waved it mockingly as if calling to him.

Adam's eye twitched as a nervous smile appeared on his face.

"Fine, even if this wind cuts me to pieces, I'll get to you!" Adam gritted his teeth, leaned his body forward, and took a short step forward.

At this pace, Adam could only take fifty steps in an hour. Yes, one step in about one minute. The problem was that sometimes he didn't calculate his powers, and the wind threw him back a few meters, and for one step, he had to take ten more.

Then, another twenty steps went by, and it was hell for Adam as the wind became like razor-sharp blades - slicing his skin.

'Adam, you need to go back! You still have plenty of time to come up with a new plan!' Silvana said worriedly, looking at Adam's body covered in blood.

A few more minutes and the minor cuts would become a real threat that could drain Adam and lead to his death.

Adam nodded slightly, he realized that Silvana was right. He took one last look at the Prismatic Elemental, who stood serenely on the rock. There were only 30 meters between them, but that distance seemed as great as infinity.

However, Adam did not leave as he had intended, for something caught his eye: the wind currents. They were as chaotic as the Prismatic Elemental's earlier steps, but that didn't mean they were meaningless.

At the same moment, Adam blinked, and his eyes became clearer, like pale sapphires without impurities or flaws.

'Adam! Adam... Ada...'

Silvana's voice grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared, along with all sound. It seemed, that all of Adam's senses, had been silenced to focus on one - the vision.

Then, Adam saw a certain consistency in the wind currents and started walking in different directions instead of just forward.

Going in a straight line was the shortest way to the cliff, but that didn't mean it was the easiest option.

Sometimes, it was worth changing your plan, perhaps slightly, to reach your goal rather than trying to go through the unpassable.

"Too bad I realized it so late, but better late than never, right?" Adam uttered, standing in front of the Prismatic Elemental at the peak of the cliff.

Their bodies swayed slightly from side to side, avoiding the sharp blades of wind, meeting only harmless currents. They fluttered Adam's hair and brought with them an uplifting freshness.

At the same moment, a third sprout appeared before the roots of the Evolution Tree. That one was gray, trembling slightly as if it might fly apart at any moment, but it clung tightly to the other two sprouts.

[You have received your third Elemental Sprout!]

"Alright. Since I passed the test, how about we fight!" Adam offered confidently, clenching his fists.

The Prismatic Elemental took a step forward and... disappeared.

"Tsk. Suit yourself. Hey Silvana, which zone is next? Looks like I'm ahead of schedule this time." Adam asked with an enthusiastic smile.

Silvana was about to answer, but Adam didn't have time to listen to her as his pupils narrowed from the sudden attack.

However, it wasn't the Wind Prismatic Elemental he'd challenged.

It was a round stone sphere, covered in soil and roots with sharp spikes protruding from it, flying straight at him at breakneck speed.

Adam reacted quickly with his reflexes and caught the sphere, but one of the spikes stuck into his palm, spurting out blood.

"What the fuck...?" Adam frowned, looking to the side.

In the distance, stood a massive Stone Prismatic Elemental, nearly four meters tall, with broad shoulders, arms, and legs huge as hammers.

Then, without waiting for Adam's response, the Stone Elemental touched the ground, tearing out pieces of rocks, roots, and soil to create a new sphere.

"I hope my next target is the stone zone. Because if it's not, I'll be damn disappointed." Adam asked, clenching his fists.

"Yes. That's zone four. However, you should be careful, it's both the easiest and hardest area of all. Many Phantoms, due to their inattention and overconfidence, have failed the training or even died at this stage." Silvana explained in a serious voice.

Adam nodded and jumped forward, not going to wait for the Stone Elemental to throw projectiles at him.